Believe and faith

Another week has come and gone, in fact another month has come and gone! Wow, not sure where time goes, but it does. Hope your week and month were filled with joys and blessings. Hope you were able to overcome your challenges with God's help and guidance.

I apologize for no report of our Saturday event. I was out of town and did not contact Mr Scott. I did get to see the results of John's work in the kitchen from Saturday. We now have a new doorway into our new pantry area. The beams for our ceiling have arrived. Our new triple rinse sink is here and ready to be installed. Each day, we get a little closer. Patience folks, patience mr brian.

Afternoon activities continue with the children. We had 17 children Monday and Wednesday. For some reason and as Joey said, Tuesday, there were no children, the first time that has ever happened since he has been with us. Basketball, jump roping seem to be the popular activities. If you are not busy, come and play with the children in the afternoons. School is winding down and your opportunity will pass you by.

Tuesday evening was another blessing as Matt led us in our community men's bible fellowship. We read from a little book in the Bible, Philemon. What I took away from the evening, anything is possible with God's help and in God's Kingdom. Something we all should strive to be a where of as we go through our journeys.

One ministry you can see immediately the results of hard work is the garden area. Just about every afternoon, you can find Ms Patty in the garden. Monday afternoon, it was past time for the children to come. At some point we heard some laughter and the children's voices. Looking around we saw the children in the garden with Ms Patty having a great time. Even Joe was out there weeding a bed. If you have not walked through the garden area recently, do so. There are plants everywhere. There are signs explaining what every thing is. There are chairs to sit and enjoy the beauty. There is lvoe.

We had another great Thursday evening. We had the pleasure of hearing Rev Eddie Buchanann and his wife share God's word through song and scripture. We have met Rev Eddie several times, a rather small, meek, quiet man. But when he goes to sharing the Word of God, man does the Spirit flow through him. Lots of Amens and hand clapping were going on. He shared his story, similar to the one we read in Philemon, anything is possible in God's Kingdom, if we just believe and have faith.

Once chapel was finished, we walked into the fellowship hall where a Sunday school class from Christ United Methodist was serving up our meal. Delicious.

Ms Lisa and her team of lawyers were there, helping the community with their legal issues.

Following our meal, Ms Abbie gave out all the bags we had and then had to make more. One of the largest crowds we ever have had. With the end of the month, a lot of folks were in need.

Following all the activities on Thursday, we gathered in the chapel, as Joey led our Bible study. Joey was still fired up from our discussion on Philemon, so we went back to it and talked more. Amazing how you can come back to the same story and still talk about other points that were not brought up before. God's Word is truly alive and has impact on our lives.

We had special guests with us Thursdy evening, our own Chanel and her husband, Justin joined us. Chanel invited her friend Joseph. We need to thank Kroger for arranging time off, so all the young people could be here at the same time. Joseph was so touched by Rev Eddie, he got up and shared a few words with us before we left chapel. Dawn, had shared a story with Dr Phil several weeks ago about meeting a young lady at Krogers that effected her day. Dawn told Dr Phil, when I was checking out, I could see Jesus in the eyes of this young cashier.  That young lady was Chanel, who was sitting across from Dawn in our circle, how cool was that.

We had another special guest with us, Izzy came by and sat in our circle for a little while. What a treat, first time that has happened. Prayers that God will continue to direct Izzy to us and that God will become an important part in his life.

Prayer concerns were lifted up for a friend of Ray's who was going through a strained relationship. Noah and his new job search and his friend struggling with a relationship. Health concerns for a friend of Grace, Linda. Prayers for those who are in authority over others in the work place. Chanel preparing for her GRE test to get into graduate school. Continued prayers for Sinotra and Byron as they deal with life and Joey as he decerns his role in their lives.

Ok, you've asked for it. You've prayed for it. You've talked about it. You've dreamed about it. Let's do it! Saturday, May 5th, 11:30 will be our first official Community Walk. In our Tuesday mens fellowship, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about how Jesus sent out the 12. They took nothing with them other than the Holy Spirit. We have that. At one point a large crowd gathered and it came time to feed them. Jesus said divide them up into groups of 50. We can do that. Jesus had a loaf of bread and some fishes. Jesus first prayed to His father. We can do that. So let's go forth and see what blessings we can find.

It will take commitment on our part. Our outdoor friends know on Saturday mornings the "church" will be coming. Mr Scott will have the van there, whether it is raining or snowing or 100 degrees outside. The children of the neighborhood know someone will be at the center every afternoon. The community knows there will be a meal and groceries served and handed out every Thursday. No matter if that Thursday is on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Now there is a mens Bible fellowship every Tuesday evening, whether it storms outside or it's cold, we will be there. The weather is nice now, but in another month it will be hot and humid, are you willing to walk and meet your neighbors? It will take a commitment. Often programs are started with good intentions. People come to the center because they want to help. But in a few months they leave. Maybe they were expecting some kind of results? Maybe they were doing it for the wrong reasons? But in the long run, they eventually do more harm than good. The community was abandoned and the community's hopes and trust were gone with it. We can not let that happen.

Our plans now, are to take some trash bags, maybe some candy for the kids, a notebook to take notes and go out and meet our neighbors. We need to get to know their names, their families, their needs, their hopes, their dreams. One house at a time. If that means for our hour, we meet only one person and household that is perfect. It is not about quantity but about quality. Then on the 12th, we go back to that same house, check in on them, visit with them and if time allows we go to the next house.

We will need someone to be the point person. We need someone who can be sure we have trash bags, have candy. May be the one who writes down the information about our neighbors. Maybe talk about our time with our neighbors to other groups. Please pray about it and let mr brian know.

Very exciting times ahead of us. Rev Eddie said, if we believe and have faith, God will provide. God will do it, in us and through us. We can not get comfortable in our journeys. We must continue to reach out. We must continue to move beyond what we as individuals can do. If we do, God will bless us, our community beyond our greatest expectations. Are you ready? Are you willing to step out? Are you willing to let go and let God?

Blessings and peace to you all. Amen.